


I go where he goes

by cakesandpuppies (someonesaveme)



Series: Wiccan and Speed of the X-Factor [1]
Category: All New X-Factor, Young Avengers
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon, Brotherly Love, Gen, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2015-08-28
Packaged: 2018-03-03 10:57:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2848424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/someonesaveme/pseuds/cakesandpuppies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harrison Snow wanted a complete set. Who would take his team seriously without some serious muscle? Oh, they were good, he made sure of that, but he wanted raw power. And what's a speedster without a witch? He can't have the Scarlet Witch, but he can have the next best thing. But didn't anyone tell him? Young Avengers are family--and family doesn't just let the baby of the group run off, wide eyed and entirely too trusting, into the hands of some shady rich asshole. Not without backup.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hate that Billy and Tommy don't get enough recognition. I mean, a queer, Jewish teenage boy with depression, some suicidal thoughts, and anxiety and his questioning brother with--at least mild--PTSD. Do you even know how important that is? That they are representing mental illnesses now? And on top of that, these two have so much promise. But other than Kate, hardly any of the YA get screentime.
> 
> So this is what I wish would happen on he X-Factor. AU.

"Billy, what do you mean you said yes?"

Billy sucks in a deep breath, getting ready to explain himself. He hates explaining himself.

Especially with this kind of thing. He's pretty sure he can feel their betrayal. At least, he can feel their hurt that he hadn't talked to them before deciding in the first place.

_"But this isn't about_ them," Billy reminds himself.

"Look, you guys are still the team I'm with. If push comes to shove, it's you--every time, no matter what. But-I mean, I-Look, I need to get out there a little more. I was down for months and I-I missed a lot of the world. I have to-I don't know-make up for it? No, not make up for it. I just was so stupid and I sat there in my shell while all the rest of you were able to get up and keep going. And when I finally stepped out a little, I almost--"

A big green hand wrapped around Billy's shoulder, effectively cutting him off from berating himself again. 

"Breathe, Bee. Take a moment, we're listening," Teddy says, rubbing up and down his boyfriend's back.

He does just that. Sucks in a deep breath and gets his nerves under control. Shit, and he'd had a whole speech all written out in his head. Superhero best friends are great like that, they intimidate the words right out of your mouth. Not that any of them would hurt him, but Kate could. A little.

"I'm just with them on a probationary basis. I can leave whenever I want. This is still my team.  _You guys_ are still my team. I just think I could do some good with the X-Factor. That's all. Honestly, I was considering trying to strike it out on my own for a little bit even before Mr. Snow made the offer, like Tommy and Kate did. Get some air away from the city. This way I'll at least be with some other people. And I won't even have to move around and stuff. They're housing me right at the main HQ--like an extended summer camp program. With a bunch of older people. And my- kinda- aunt."

Kate shakes her head and opens her mouth to protest, but David actually beats her to it.

"Look, Billy, it's not that we're against you striking out. Hell, we're the last people who have any right to stop you--"

"Speak for yourself, Alleyne. I think..."

"-- **but,"** David continues, talking over Tommy as Kate moves to elbow him in the side, "what you just described sounds like this shady rich guy who owns this very new company just randomly offered you a spot on some random team with zero history; whose roster hold no one you know personally, but somehow this Mr. Snow knew your name and address anyways? Billy, think about this. I only know a bare minimum about this dude, and this is me."

Billy runs a hand through his hair.

"I know, I know. I thought it over, and I've did a lot of research. But from what I've read, he's telling the truth. Humanitarian efforts. Feeding the poor. Environmentally healthy tech in all his factories. Open support of gay rights. Even racial equality in his staff and in his advertisements. I'm thinking maybe the guy just really wants to help. And I don't know the people he's chosen, but I know **of** them. When we all got together, we didn't even have that. And my 'secret identity'? The Avengers went searching for our parents only a few years back. Captain America showed up at my house to escort me away. Captain Marvel came knocking at my window. Last week, Hawkeye came over to borrow the last episode of  _Dog Cops_ on DVD, he broke his or something. Let's face it, my cover is literally non-existent. I'm not hard to find."

No one has anything to reply to that (except Kate, who curses Clint under her breath). It's true. He isn't hard to find, neither are any of the rest of them for that matter.

"And-I don't know- I think Mr. Snow's a decent person. He seemed good."

"Oh," Tommy moaned, " **now** I'm reassured." He presses his face into his hands and blows out air slowly.

"Hey," Billy says, snapping his head towards his twin, "What's that supposed to mean?"

The rest of the team look at each other. Mostly with fond amusement painted on their face, a couple with exasperated sarcasm.

"No offense, Billy," Noh Varr chimes in, "and I mean actually none. It's a quality we all adore about you, an admirable trait in a world of cynicism to be sure, but you tend to trust on first sight."

"You see the good in people, Billy," Kate says.

"--but not always the bad, bro," Tommy adds on.

"So," Billy said, pausing to let the words sink in before continuing, "I'm... gullible?"

Kate pinches her right index and thumb together and squints. Noh Varr puts a hand on Billy's shoulder.

"Little bit," America says, "Not a bad thing, seein' the best in people, but not great when dealing with slimy rich assholes with their asshole agendas and skeletons to hide."

"I--he wan't really  _slimy_. I mean, yeah he's probably got some agenda but who doesn't? And, I mean, I don't _think_ he was hiding anything big..."

"Great!" Kate exclaims, "He sounds fantastic, Billy. I can't wait to meet him."

...

"...huh?"

* * *

 

"Of course, I'm more than happy to meet with all of you!" Harrison Snow exclaims while leading the Young Avengers through the security room of Serval Industries, "I'm just happy you were able to make it all the way to Virginia. You had a nice flight, I assume? How did the jet do, Billy? I had it made just for the new team."

"It was great, Mr. Snow. Thanks for sending it."

"Please, Harrison," he says, smiling down at Billy. Then, looking around at the rest of the team, he says, "And that goes for all of you as well. I'll not have any Mr. Snow-ing around here. Any friend of Billy's is a friend of mine. Or however it is that that statement goes."

Billy smiles meekly, almost apologetically. The rest of his team stare on, unconvinced.

"Man," Tommy whispers to Billy once they're on the move again, "Does he get any more villianesque? 'Any friend of Billy's.' Didn't know you two were on a first name basis."

"So he's not all that great with boundaries, who are you to talk?"

"Ouch. That cuts deep."

"I'm sure."

"This is a very impressive security system, Mr. Snow," David says over the silent bickering of the twins, "Must have cost a fortune."

"Luckily, fortune is something I  **do** have."

"Can I ask something?" Kate says, not taking so much as a second before continuing, showing exactly how important Harrison Snow's permission actually was to her, "Why build a team of mutants then build a security system that's able to essentially keep all mutants out? You have to admit, it's a little..."

"Much?" Snow chimes in, "Yes, a valid question..."

Even Billy looks wary now. Mutant based hate is by no means a resolved issue, after all. The possibility the Snow was just planning on trapping the lot of them later on hadn't really crossed Billy's mind before, but Kate has a point. Seeing this giant security system...

"I'm an idealist, but ideals won't get you anywhere, Hawkeye. Not alone. It's all well and good to hope for things, but having the willpower to go out and make sure there's still something to hope for at the end of the day?  Well, I hate to brag but that takes something else. And the power to protect that hope? That takes a security system like this, unfortunately. I own a company. People work here. I can't just let it fall to shambles without any backup plan. The team of heroes is my personal project but my company can't simply depend on the defense of my project. The security system never be used for anything other than protection, I guarantee that."

"So all the guns are for decoration then?" Teddy says.

"Well, Hulkling, that may well be the case. You know him better than anyone, if Wiccan were to resist, what good would a few bullets do?"

"So why me then?" Billy asks, "I'm obviously a danger to all this. Why me?"

Harrison Snow smiles and puts his hands on Billy's shoulders.

" **Because** you're a danger to all this. Because you are potentially that powerful. I won't lie to you, Billy. Your magic is appealing."

"So, in other words, you want me for muscle?"

"Not really the words I'd use. I'm not going to insult either of us though, Billy. I don't know you or Lorna or Gambit or any of the others that may join. But I know what you're capable of. Rest easy though, I won't make you do anything with that power that you don't want."

"That's what they would say. Right before they make you do everything you don't want," Tommy snaps, pushing himself off the railing he was leaning against and right into Snow's personal bubble. 

"Tommy."

"Billy."

"Mr. Snow," Kate says, "I've got a suggestion."

* * *

 

"Why me though?"

"Look, Teddy's got school, I've got a deadbeat dad around that, deadbeat as he is, is gonna probably notice me disappearing every day or so to Virginia. America refuses. David is just starting to put a life together in the city. Noh Varr agreed to drop in but otherwise muttered something cryptic and went off. So it's you. You and Billy are both technically completing senior year as home-schooled students. And you're free."

"Maybe I've got plans."

"You do now."

Tommy plops down onto the bean bag chair in the YA HQ. "My life is  **over**."

"Don't be a dramatic bitch, Tommy," Kate says, "Besides would you have really let Billy go by himself?"

Tommy sniffs, affronted at the mere suggestion.

"I am affronted by the mere suggestion. That guy was shadier than-than something really,  **really** shady."

"Wow, now I'm convinced," Kate says, stuffing a bunch of shirts into a carry-on bag, "Let's alert the Avengers immediately."

"Kaaaaaate."

"Toooooooooommy."

Tommy doesn't reply, opting to throw a shirt in Kate's direction instead. She easily dodges, of course.

"Look, Tommy, all of us love Billy," she slaps a hand over Tommy's mouth as he tries to protest," but he's been through an ordeal. I hate to tell him what's good for him, but Snow's--there's something I don't like. And there's a helluva lot you don't like. And Billy's trusting. And desperate to do the right thing. And recovering from a **bad** slump. We can't let Snow just take advantage of him. With luck, it'll just be a few months, just until Billy's done what he's needed to do and is ready to go home," she says.

"It's probably not even anything. Snow checks out completely, or else do you think the Kaplans would've just let their son go join his team is Virginia? So you two go, do a little heroing, have a bit of fun, bond with your soul aunt, and come back. Not a bad vacation."

Tommy snorts. Kate zips up the bag and hands it to him.

Billy's head pokes in through the door.

"Fastest mutant alive, my ass. Are you done yet?"

"Just waiting on you, witch-boy."

"Whatever, at least I didn't have someone else pack for me."

"At least I didn't enchant all the neighborhood's toilet paper to become sentient life-forms hell bent on stealing away all the towels in upper NYC."

"One. Time."

"Yeah, I imagine that's not something anyone needs a repeat performance of."

"Shut up, are we going or what?"

Tommy throws his bag over his shoulder and zips off in a giant gust of wind, leaving a note taped onto a sputtering Billy's head.

_**Don't take too long,** **brat.**_

* * *

 

 


	2. are we there yet?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins are terrible on trips.

"So, Gambit--er, Mr. LeBeau--you're a king of some sort?"

"Well," Remy says, "King of  **thieves**. It's a bit different."

"So, no,"  Tommy turns to Billy and says, "Not a king, just a criminal asshole. A royal asshole, if you want."

Billy rolls his eyes and pushes his brother lightly.

"That was terrible. I don't know you. We aren't related in any way."

"You'd disown me over a pun?"

"I'd disown you over  _that_  pun."

Lorna sighs and rubs at her temples. Two weeks into being an aunt and she's already raring to commit nephew-cide. Is there a word for nephew murder? What's the general sentence for double nephew murder?

"Boys," she says, and is almost impressed with how long-suffering she sounds even to herself, "can we please get back  _without_ the stopping in the middle of the trip because one of you blew the plane up or threw the other into a ventilation shaft and can't find them or got food stuck in the jet turbines or whatever? Just... can we make it to the destination, touch down the plane, before the disasters start raining down on us? Please?"

"Relax, Auntie L, we got this. We're not gonna break anything."

"That'd be more reassuring if it didn't come from the teen famous for blowing shit up and running away really fast," Lorna says.

"Ouch." Tommy throws a hand over his heart and fake collapses on Billy, which gets him immediately kicked to the floor.

"As if, Shepherd," Billy snarks, making a shooing motion with his hands.

"Billy-senpai doesn't love me? Not kawaii!"

"Shut up! I watch a few animes, okay? That's normal. I'm no anime trash... yet."

"I never said it wasn't and I never said you were, baby bro. Why so defensive?"

"Lorna!"

"Wh-are you  **tattling?!** What are we? Five?" Tommy jumps up and whips his head over to Pietro.

"Can you believe this, Uncle Pete?"

Pietro's jaw jumps wildly at being addressed. He deliberately looks anywhere but the two seats the twins are occupying. Damn Wanda and damn her kids. Luna was never like this, not in Pietro's memory at least. He and Wanda never bickered like this.   

"I do not understand," Danger says from her corner seat in the jet, quietly enough so the twins themselves don't hear,"The two of them have great affection for one another, if their biochemical readings are correct. Thay make each other release chemicals indicative of happiness when addressing one another. And yet, all they do in each other's presence is display raised voices and aggressive taunting tactics. Is this once again, a 'feelings thing'?"

Gambit leans over the back of his chair and snorts.

"You didn't have any siblings I take it?"

Danger tilts her head slightly to the left.

"I do not see how that is an appropriate response to my question, Gambit. Why? Did  **you** have any?"

Gambit shrugs and says, "Lived in a mansion with no less than fifty other mutes. It was like having siblings, I guess. It's just something you do, you know? Drive each other nuts when you could. I don't know, it feels right. When you do the sibling back-and-forth with the right person, it feels right. And they don't mean nothing by it, just good fun. Lovers kiss after a battle and brothers and sisters go after each others' throats. Same concept."

Pietro finds himself nodding a bit. 

"This is, surprisingly, not incorrect," he says, "Wanda and I had something similar. Occasionally, I would sneak itching powder or skin dye into various items of clothing she owned after battles. In retaliation, I could expect find my belongings randomly turning into frogs for about a week afterwards."

Lorna laughed. Sharp and testy and battle-weary, but a genuine laugh all the same.

"You go ahead and try it, Pietro. See what you get."

Pietro's ice-blue eyes jump to life in a way that they rarely ever do anymore. 

"Hey, hey!" Doug exclaims, seeing that the team's about to lose their sanest members to the incessant bickering force that were the Maximoff boys, "Isn't one pair enough?"

Suddenly, an explosion rocks the entire jet.

" _Tommy!_ What the hell?!"

"Me?  _Me?!_  That was you!"

Lorna looks like she might cry. Or commit nephew-cide. She settles with trying to land the plane.


	3. Chapter 3

Pietro takes off in the direction of the scream. He honestly can't tell which twin it had come from but it had to come from one of them. What were they thinking? They should have left the two of them at Serval with Luna and Georgia. What were they even thinking bringing two insanely powerful, entirely untrained mutant children with them to hunt rogue Sentinels? For that matter, whose stupid idea was it to send a team of mutants to hunt down rogue machines whose primary design is to kill mutants?

A scream rings out, followed by a louder, panicked one. Pietro is close enough now to make out the words.

" **Tommy, I said RUN!---Tommy! It's not working, GO! Go get help**!"

" **Like hell!---LET GO**!"

Pietro pushes. He will make it in time. He couldn't save Wanda. He couldn't save his parents. But he can save these children. He **can** save them. He _**will**_ save them. Wanda's children, his nephews--these kids that are only trying to follow his footsteps, who just want to be heroes, won't die today.

A shriek welcomes Pietro into a clearing in the forest, where a Sentinel stands clenching Billy in one fist. It seems that Billy had at least enough time to envelope himself in magic before the giant machine grabbed him. The other hand is swinging wildly at something on its leg...

" **Tommy**!" Pietro roars, realizing that the giant would grab the obviously injured speedster before Tommy has a chance to move. Tommy sports a nasty gash on his head that looks to be healing, just not fast enough. His left leg is also in a bad shape, cuts and scrapes all over it, and a possible twisted ankle. Those are healing faster, but again, _not fast enough_.

Dust kicks up violently behind Pietro as he races for the boy. He grabs Tommy and hauls him to the left, but the Sentinel is fast. It grabs onto Tommy's arm and holds on. There is a sickening crack immediately after the Sentinel's huge fingers clamp down around Tommy's arm and Tommy screams. Billy screams too, his scream then melts into what sounds like an explosion.

Then, there's not much of anything.

There is ringing in his ears. That's the first thing Pietro registers when he comes to. He forces his eyes open to take a look at the situation and all he can see is a white light. Bright and blinding. First, he thinks that he is still disoriented and forces himself to (slowly) blink a few times and suck in a few breaths. Then, he realizes that the light is real. And that it's coming from above.

Billy.

Light is pouring out of every inch of William Kaplan's body and spreading out to every corner of the forest. It almost seems ethereal. Pietro remembers Wanda's magic. Homely when controlled, wild and chaotic when not. This magic is the same at the surface, but sitting under it--being bathed in it's light-- Pietro can't help but feel something more god-like. Less real, less grounded. There are no shadows either. The light touches every inch of the ground regardless of what is in the way. It's so bright. Bright enough that Pietro has to squint to even make out an outline of the floating boy. And the Sentinel? Gone. Or at least getting there. The Sentinel in the clearing is slowly...unexisting? If that's something anything can do. Little by little it's very existence seems to be melting away into the white brightness. A look at the sky shows Pietro that all the rest of the death robots (or at least all the ones that were flying around just moments before) have been subjected to the same fate.

"uuugh..."

Tommy.

Pietro had almost forgotten him in all the excitement. The younger speedster tries to push himself off the ground but Pietro puts a hand on his back, forcing him slowly to lower his head back to the ground.

"Slowly. That was a nasty cut you got on your head and I wouldn't be surprised if that arm is out for a good **week--** even with your healing rate. Stay down until your head stops bleeding in any case."

Tommy pushes up against the hand (unsuccessfully, of course. Pietro isn't the strongest there is but he's strong enough to control a teenage boy).

"No-no. Billy. He's-he...what's he doing? Where--?"

Pietro shushes and rubs his free hand up and down Tommy's back and checks him over for other injuries.

"Billy is doing better than fine. There's not much else for you to do. Recover. Then we'll get your brother and regroup with the others."

Tommy either sees sense (for once) or his head injury is getting to him because he actually relaxes and lets Pietro finish checking him over. He even winces like a normal child when Pietro's hand grazes over a burn on his left hip. Pietro gets a bit worried at that. Tommy never winces. But the burn, while nasty looking, is small and Pietro doesn't imagine it'll take any more than half an hour to heal up. He thinks that perhaps Tommy's more concussed than he'd originally guessed. It could be worry over his twin too. Exhaustion.

Trust.

It's possible that Tommy finally trusts him enough to show weakness. Bravado and displaying strength in front of strangers is a trait that Pietro knows he shares with his kind of nephew. So perhaps...

But Billy plummeting from the sky cuts off any other speculation Pietro could have had. Once again, for the second time today, Pietro pushes himself to the limit to reach one of his nephews.

* * *

 

 

"--and he saved everyone, Snow. If you have a problem with him then you have a problem with me because I was the one who sanctioned that action. We saved lives. We saved each other. What more is it that you and your private army wants from us?"

"Mr. Snow, what Quicksilver is getting at is that, while it's regrettable what happened to the robots, it had to be done. We all agreed. Lives were saved because of it; isn't that what we're here for?"

"I agree. This was the best course of action in the long run."

"Self would like to second that opinion. Self and friend Doug were both rescued by friend Billy's actions."

"Besides bossman, you send mutants out after Sentinels, what the hell was you expecting? If it wasn't the kid, it would've been me."

"Remy, **shut** \--"

Tommy shuts the door with his good arm and turns to an unconscious Billy.

"Still arguing out there, bro," Tommy says, plopping down into a chair next to the bed, "And you were right. Uncle Pete and Aunt Lorna and the rest. They're a good sort. Even that freak Gambit isn't so bad. They're taking the fall for it. Although, that's not exactly what I'd call it seeing as you really saved all our asses back there. But, I mean, they're telling the rich creep that they ordered it. So, I mean, there's that...

And I can't believe that rich louse is more worried about his stupid robots than he is about the team. I mean if he hadn't gone and tried to 'reprogram' them in the first..."

Billy coughs.

"Billy? **Billy!** Come on you nerd, wake up."

A groan and Billy's eyes flutter open, only to close immediately, but he moves his hand and clenches his fist and groans a few more times so Tommy knows he's awake.

"Hey! HEY!" Tommy yells, flinging the door open, "He's up! What now?! Hey, Uncle Pete!"

Pietro is suddenly at the door and shoving past Tommy.

" _How many times_ have I asked you to stop calling me that? William, you're up. Good. There is water, would you like some?"

Billy doesn't move for a bit and his face scrunches up like he's repeating the question and trying to piece it together. Finally, he relaxes and gives a slow and faint nod. Tommy races out the door before Billy even finishes nodding and is back in mere seconds with a glass of water in his hands. He brings it over to Billy and guides his hands to the cup. Billy's eyes are still shut tight but he manages to get his head off the bed without assistance and sips some of the water. His stomach roils and feels heavy and bloated but he downs the cup anyways, enjoying the way the cool water feels against his raw throat. Tommy snatches the cup away as soon as Billy finishes and goes to get another only to be stopped by Pietro.

"No more for now. Let his stomach settle."

Tommy opens his mouth to protest but Billy makes a noise that sounds like an agreement.

"he's..." Billy clears his throat and tries again, "Right. He's right, Tommy. Just let me lay down a bit more."

Billy's voice is still a croak but the words are recognizable and Pietro can hear it from his place next to the door.

Tommy crumples up the paper cup and throws it into the trash. He mutters 'goal' quietly to himself when the paper wad falls into the wastebasket and then races over to the chair he was in earlier and sits back down.

Billy grabs Tommy's sleeve. "Okay?" he croaks, "Your arm..."

"Oh man," Tommy says, " **Me**? What about you? It had your whole freaking body, you moron!"

"M'okay."

"Yeah? Well same here. Thanks to Uncle Pete."

Pietro scoffs, "For the last time, Thomas: stop calling me that."

Tommy waves him off as if waving off a really annoying fly and Billy laugh-wheezes. Pietro shakes his head and rolls his eyes. He then makes his way across the room and puts a hand on Tommy's shoulder and the other on Billy's head.

"Get some rest. BOTH of you. And when I say both, I mean you as well Thomas."

Amazingly enough, neither brother argues (which they usually do just on the principle of being bossed around). Instead, Tommy drifts out of his chair and into his own hospital bed, right next to Billy's. He falls asleep the same way he does everything else. Quickly. Pietro is about to leave when Billy gives his sleeve a tug too.

"Thank you, Quicksilver. You saved him. I wasn't fast enough but you got him and he's okay."

Pietro shakes his head. "You did not see his arm, clearly."

Billy shakes his head right back. "The arm will heal, but he's alive and okay and you got him. Thank you."

"Stop with the thanking," Pietro says, putting a hand on Billy's head again, but this time he runs his hand through the thick hair, "There's no need to stand on ceremony with me. Whatever else the circumstances surrounding our relationship, we are family. Whether or not it was the same body your souls inhabited, I held you two as babies. Saving each other comes naturally to us."

Billy smiles sweetly... and then smirks not-so-sweetly.

"So.. does that mean we can call you--?"

"No."

"Oh, come one. Lorna doesn't mind."

"Lorna is young and gives you two far too much leeway."

"Uncle Pete~"

"I take it all back, you two exist solely to be the banes of my existence and nothing else."

"Come on, we're family."

"I admit no relation with you or that terror over there."

* * *

 

_Fin_

* * *

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy always laughs when people think he's the angry twin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> from my tumblr headcanon that billy is an angry boy and has no stop button period and it exhausts people.

Pietro has to drag Billy from the room spitting and screaming. 

The team had been at a function with Snow, to promote world peace and an end to drowning or something. Room full of rich people schmoozing with other rich people while subtly putting each other down. Nothing too exciting. 

That is, until Tommy ran up to him and Lorna and said, "You're gonna want to come. And quick. Like, really quick. I tried, really did, but it's your turn now."

"Thomas, I told you that I'm not--"

"No! Not that! Well, I mean it'd be cool but this is important."

"Important?" Lorna had asked, warily.

"It's Billy."

**That** got Pietro across the room before Lorna could even finish her sharp inhale. And for his troubles, what does he get? He gets to wrestle with a wig for a full half hour to stop it from devouring a woman's face while  **Billy** just stood there screaming angrily. 

"Wiccan, you stop that right now!" Pietro roared in his finest 'dad' voice that usually gets Luna to cut out whatever she's doing, "Release your hold on the wig, you stupid boy!"

Amazingly, it worked. But Billy still looked ready to throw something so Pietro grabbed him around the waist and dragged him out of the room, past a hysterical Lorna and a far-too-amused Lebeau.

So that's where he's at now, dragging his stewing nephew as far from the party as possible. 

"You can let go now, Pietro," Billy says, having the good sense to sound slightly embarrassed. 

"Oh, can I?" Pietro asks, not loosening his grip at all.

"I might consider it, William, if you would be so kind as to let me know exactly  **what the hell you were thinking! Huh?** "

Billy winces at the tone and won't meet Pietro's eyes.

"She was--she was saying stuff."

"Stuff."

"That I didn't like."

"Yes, I got that."

"About... about Teddy. And about me. About Teddy and me. Mostly how we're-you know-going to hell and all that."

Oh. Oh...

Pietro sighs and stops walking. He sets Billy's feet on the ground and releases him.

"William," he says, looking down at the younger man, "Those kinds of people are just going to talk. Attacking them isn't going to help anything, ow she'll just go around spreading lies about how homosexuals are violent and are to be feared. Those types of people aren't to be argued with, just ignored."

"But I wasn't arguing..."

"William."

"I know! I know. But it wasn't just her, everyone around her was nodding and adding in their own two cents and I was just so-so pissed! I was so pissed! Who the hell does she think she is? And Tommy kept trying to get me out of there but it's like that old  **vulture**  had me targeted and would not let go!"

And there's nothing to be said about that. Pietro wishes he could say he understands but for all the things he'd been targeted for in his life, his sexual orientation was not one of them.

"Should've just let that old hag's hair eat her, Uncle Pete." The statement is followed by a sudden gust of wind. Of course, when the blur stops, there stands Tommy Shepherd.

"You alright there, Kaplan?"

Pietro just sighs. 

"Look, I will try to get you two exempt from these sorts of things from now on, but you have to promise me that you'll keep your tempers from now on, okay?"

Both boys nod, eager to not have to attend anymore of Snow's inane 'parties'.

Liars. Filthy, dirty liars.

* * *

 

Lorna marches into the break room, a sullen looking Billy trailing behind her. She stops in front of Pietro, who is currently fighting for control of the television with Remy, and Billy sulks off to his room. Probably to find Tommy and complain. The two have become amazingly close, despite their continued facade of despising each other. Working together with someone does that to a person.

"Uh oh," Remy says, "I know that face."

"Billy attacked some jock-head at the cafe," Lorna tells the them, "I mean, the guy deserved it, talking about that new Hawkeye like that, but still."

"Attacked?" Remy asks, "With magic or with fists? Gotta say I didn't take the boy for a scrapper."

"No, not like that," Lorna plops down between the two men and levitates the remote to her, "He didn't fight them, he just went off. There was a lot of screaming and a few threats and I'm pretty sure he hissed at them. Not like a kitty either, like some kind of creepy rattlesnake-boy hybrid."

She turns to Pietro. "I thought you went over this with him."

"How is it always  **my** fault whenever those two do something?"

* * *

 

Doug is practically one with the backseat at this point.

"B-Billy, do you want me to drive?"

"Why? I'm okay--WHAT THE HELL?! HAVE YOU NEVER HEARD OF A PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY?" Billy honks the horn a few times, "I OUGHT TO JUST RUN YOU OVER, RUNNING ACROSS THE ROAD LIKE THAT!!! DIDN'T YOUR MOTHER TEACH YOU ANY GOOD SENSE?"

Doug whimpers. Technically, there is absolutely no reason to be frightened. Apparently, William Kaplan is an excellent driver. He follows every speed limit, stops at every stop sign, checks all his mirrors, pulls over for emergency vehicles, the whole nine yards. But Doug isn't sure if his heart can handle this.

Tommy slurps his drink from the passenger seat, cool as a cucumber.

"Light's green, Kaplan."

"Yes, I see it, Tommy! Now if only  **someone** would hurry up and  **move!** I could actually take advantage of that green light! YOU HEAR THAT? i'M TAKING TO YOU HERE!" **  
**

"Hey, you okay back there?" Tommy calls back, "You look kind of sick."

"I am kind of sick..."

"I told you not to eat that chicken, man."

Doug decides that he  **hates** teenagers.

* * *

 

"He reminds me of Wanda."

Remy starts and stares at Pietro a while, taking his eyes away from the scene in front of him. Pietro doesn't even acknowledge his shock, just keeps watching while Billy attempts to drop what looks like a small mountain on top of the giant death robot and Tommy running around telling him that its a bad idea and he's going to die oh god. 

"Wanda? You're sweet sister? You sure you got the right twin?"

"I am condescending and ill-mannered, I'm aware, but Wanda was always the angry one."

"I don't see it."

"That's because you've never made her angry. I don't suggest it, by the way."

They keep watching for a while. Billy has apparently decided against the small mountain and is now summoning what looks to be a giant ball of lighting.

"God," Remy says, half scared and half impressed, "he's like a little human pitbull."

Pietro nods, getting ready to intervene.

"He reminds me of Wanda."

Tommy seems like he's given up trying to reason with his brother and is now just yelling at him to put the lightning down. Billy yells back something and Tommy throws his hands up in the air. Pietro breaks into a run, thanking any god that's listening that Billy is the only twin to inherit his mother's ~~violent~~ temper. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remy takes the Tommy on a night out after a rough mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is part one. this is looking like a two parter.

" **Tommy**! Tommy, stop! You're going to kill him!"

Tommy can hear Billy screaming in the background, but he doesn't care. This asshole. This animal. He's a mutant too. How dare he? Isn't it bad enough for humans to use them as lab experiments? He's a mutant too.  **Jesus**.

He is _not_ a guinea pig. Billy is _not_ a human battery. They're kids.  **Kids!**  How dare these freaks try that? _How dare they_? They're scum. They deserve whatever they get! They deserve to _die_!

Strong arms wrap around his midsection and mutters lowly in French. Tommy kicks and screams and fights, but its no good. He's too worked up to vibrate out properly and whoever is holding him is stronger. He catches a whiff of cologne. The expensive kind.

_Gambit_.

Tommy screams out every curse word, every hurtful name in the book. All he gets is a hum.

"Goodness, the mouth on you. Breathe in, kid. In and out, like I am. You feel that?" he pulls Tommy in close enough to feel his chest rise and fall as he breathes, "Just like that."

"Shut up!  **SHUT UP!** What do you know?! What would you know? You're no better--you're no better than them! A traitor to your own kind! You think your little deal with Sinister is a secret?!  **HA!** You-you... let go, you perv..." 

All the fight leaves Tommy as his brain catches up to his mouth. He feels Gambit stiffen with every word, he hears Billy's horrified gasp. In confidence, Vision-Jonas-had once revealed that little tidbit from his files. In. Confidence. Gambit had always been a personal favorite of Billy's and h was curious. And Vision had been created from a teenager's brainwaves at the time--teens and their gossip. He'd felt guilty immediately after and had made the twins and Teddy swear never to say a word. 

So much for that...

Gambit doesn't let go though. He's stiff as a board and there's no more soft muttering, but he doesn't let go until Lorna and Danger barge in, Pietro carting Doug not far behind. Then, he relinquishes Tommy with lightning speed over to Lorna's questions and Pietro's fussing. 

* * *

 

Gambit doesn't look at Tommy for the rest of the mission. Or on the ride back. 

Billy is a mix between pissed and worried. He looks like he's about to say something at some point, but Gambit calls him back. Tommy doesn't know for what. He doesn't care either. 

(  _god, why can't I ever control that mouth?_ )

* * *

 

"He didn't mean it," is the first thing Billy says once their out of hearing range, safely tucked away in the jet's kitchen area.

"He really didn't," he continues, not letting Remy get a word in, "He's been telling all our friends that he thinks you're actually pretty cool and coming from Tommy that's like a worship. He never mentions anyone unless asked, but he's been mentioning you and he really, seriously didn't mean it. He'll never say so but he didn't. Really."

Remy puts a hand up.

"Slow down, mon ami. I know," Remy says, making his way over to the fridge as he says it, "Relax, kid. If anyone knows about letting their mouth get away from them, it's me."

"But you never say anything like that, I'll bet," Billy mutters, "He didn't mean it. He shouldn't have, though. Said it, I mean."

Remy shrugs and tries to make it look nonplussed and attempts to busy himself scrounging up food. 

"Everyone gets angry in their own way."

Remy almost physically winces at how weak that sounded.

Billy doesn't talk after that, just looks conflicted.

"I-I'll talk to him. Y-you're not going to tell Lorna, are you? About what happened to the evil scientist guy? Or Mr. Snow? Please don't tell Mr. Snow. This is supposed to be a good thing for us, but Mr. Snow never wanted Tommy and if he knows about this then he'll kick him off the team for sure and then Tommy will have to--"

"Sh-sh-shhhhhh," Remy says, holding a finger up to Billy's lips, "Hey, King of Thieves, remember? I can keep a secret. Provided you can."

Billy nods, "Sorry."

* * *

 

Apologize. 

Tommy scoffs inwardly. 

What's an apology good for? He'd dragged the man's deepest shame, his darkest secret, and put it out on display simply because the guy had been trying to help. The  **one**  mistake that he'd been working half his life to try and make up for. And now, when he may have finally made some peace with it, to have it dragged up by some teenage brat having a temper tantrum...

The guy had nearly died that night, probably almost died many times after, trying to correct what happened and then to have it dug out and made light of like that? Well, Tommy knows how he'd feel. Nothing short of a really,  _really_ long sparring session with no bars held would make this even minimally better.

And he'd told Billy so, but his twin is nothing if not insistent. And honestly? Tommy's feeling a bit crappy himself. And to make matters worse, Gambit had caved to Billy's puppy dog charms and agreed to cover for Tommy's ass. 

Shit.

'He's not mad, Tommy.' 'Just go say you're sorry, Tommy.' 'You can't let these things fester, Tommy.'

Damn Billy for having a shrink mom. 

( _an excellent shrink mom who you love. you've hurt enough people today, shepherd_ )

Okay, time to face the music.

* * *

 

Remy can practically feel the boy at his door. Back and forth an back and forth. Running away only to have his brother send him back every time. 

His poor kittens have been on edge for the whole half hour, sitting by the door waiting for something to happen. 

But Remy doesn't want to talk, not yet. He wants to let the kid stew.

( _a little vindictive, lebeau. he's just a kid. a sorry kid_  )

Remy sighs. He can do this. Just one sorry kid.

"You coming in or non? People are going to start to talk, you know."

* * *

 

Tommy tentatively slides the door open. Gambit is inside, on his bed. 

(  _of course he's on the bed, dumbass. it's the middle of the night. what was Billy thinking? this is dumb. go back. go **back**_ )

"Grab Oliver, will you? Make sure he doesn't escape."

Oliver?

Suddenly, there's a brush on his leg and Tommy looks down to see a little gray furball trying to slide by.

Ah, Oliver.

Tommy scoops up the cat too fast for it to protest and deposits him on Gambit's bed in a heartbeat.

The cat vomits on Gambit's bed sheets. 

(  _oh. fantastic. we're doing good, Tommy. real good_ )

* * *

 

Remy is panicking a little and he doesn't really know why. He can tell the kid is panicking a lot and he can guess why. Tommy's panic in turn makes him panic which makes his face scrunch up which makes Tommy panic even more. 

And there's cat vomit drying on his sheets.

(  _say something, lebeau. tell him to go to bed. no wait, he's not five. okay, well tell him it's okay. or that it's kind of okay? don't do it again but it's okay?_ )

Remy opens his mouth to say something and all that comes out is--

"Well?"

\--in the most awkward sounding disappointed-mom voice  **ever**.

(  _yep. totally nailed that. didn't screw **that** up at all _ )

* * *

 

"I'mreallysorryforwhatIsaidandIdidn'tmeanitandI'llneverdoitagain.ThanksfornotreportingmetoSnow.IfyoureallywannabeatmeupthenIgetitandwecandothat.I'msorryIguess!"

(  _smooth_ )

* * *

 

tbc.

* * *

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is so short, but I'm seriously running out of ideas. I might end up putting this on hold for even longer because I really don't know what to write anymore. If any of you have any prompts of stuff you'd like to see happen in this universe, feel free to message me either here or on tumblr. This is kinda open to you guys now so give me some ideas.

Tommy sits dejectedly in the courtyard of Serval Industries' headquarters, his face pressed into his hands. He can hear Gambit's approach, but doesn't respond other than to tense up. 

Remy, for his part, makes as much noise as possible approaching the boy. The last thing he thinks Tommy needs is a surprise. He stops right in front of Tommy and shakes one of the two bottles a few inches from Tommy's face, causing Tommy to look up and see the beer being held out to him.

"If you were any other teenager, no way this would be happening. But if you're old enough to fight aliens and save the world, the least we can do is give you some alcohol at the end of it."

Tommy scoffs but takes the beer anyways, nodding his thanks to the older man.

"Besides, your uncle tells me you speedsters can't get drunk. Something about 'biological impossibility' or whatever. Don't know why you guys bother with the stuff if that's the case--what's the point of drinking if you're not gonna get drunk?"

Tommy twists off the cap on his bottle, takes a huge swig and says, "It makes things feel a little slower as the alcohol clears through, even if just for a few seconds. Makes us--well, me at least--feel like the world isn't crawling around me."

He takes another sip, smaller this time.

"Makes me feel a little... normal. Even if it's just for a second. A second is a long time for a speedster," Tommy says, trailing off at the end until he's barely a murmur. 

Remy has to strain to hear, but it's fine. He gets the feeling that spoken to him anyways.

Remy catches himself before spewing the 'you-don't-need-to-be-normal' crap. It's true, of course, but it's not what Tommy needs to hear. Remy remembers realizing how his red eyes was what made the people around him turn away in disgust and fear. He'd tried every contact he could steal in an attempt to look just a tiny bit more 'normal'. Despite what Logan and Kitty seem to think, knowing there's nothing wrong with being different and wanting to be normal aren't the same. Remy sees nothing wrong with letting the kid pretend for a little bit. He'll come to terms to himself one day, but today he's seventeen and upset. 

"Come on, kid," Remy insists, plopping down next to Tommy and lightly nudging him in the ribs with his elbow, "Why the long face? As far as missions go, that one went not too terrible. Only three of us are in the hospital. No one's dead or possibly dying. I know it doesn't seem like that's some major victory, but wait till you get to my age. You'll learn to take what you get."

Tommy licks his lips and swallows more beer.

"I thought I'd be more ready," Tommy says hoarsely, slowly lifting his eyes to meet Remy's as he said it, "It's been three entire years. I thought I'd be more ready to see it. I mean, I knew people were testing on mutants still. Hell, I lived it, and I told myself I was ready. And I wasn't. And then they started talking about the _possibilities_ with Billy and-fuck- I lost it..."

Remy knows a reassurance will help nothing. Still, he puts a hand on Tommy's shoulder and squeezes softly.

"Your brother's a tough kid," Remy tells Tommy, "And so are you. You'll find a way to get to 'okay'. It'll be hard and not-fun, but you'll get there."

Tommy breathes out for, what seems to him like, the first time since this conversation started. Hell, the first time since this entire  _day_  started.

"I'm sorry for what I said to you," Tommy says, eyes dropping down to the ground again. 

Remy simply waves him off and replies, "Don't worry about it, kid. I used to teach at a school full of traumatized teenage mutants. Some of them didn't even have conventional genitals. I've heard worse and then some. And look, I'm still alive."

Tommy nods gratefully and downs the rest of the beer. 

He then steals Remy's and downs that too. 

"Hey, how bad do you figure Uncle Pete'll get if we bedazzle his hoodies?"

Remy knows an olive branch when he sees one.

"Why? You feel like finding out?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, I will write prompts for this universe, but you've got to request them because I am fresh out of ideas at the moment.


End file.
